Fighting in Syria

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is alarmed about recent reports of arbitrary arrests and killings of members of the Alawite minority in Syria, and has thus called on the German Federal Government to advocate for an end to the fighting between the security forces of the new Syrian Islamist government and armed Alawite groups – which, apparently, consist of Assad’s followers and also Alawite civilians who are determined resist attacks by the Islamist security forces.

“Under the pretext of fighting supporters of the Assad regime, fighters of the Sunni Islamist government in Damascus are now turning against the Alawite minority living along the Mediterranean coast. According to our sources, there are arbitrary arrests and killings,” reported Dr. Kamal Sido, the STP’s Middle East Consultant. According to unconfirmed reports, at least 70 people were killed or injured.

“The German Federal Government – and especially the foreign Office, which has good contacts with the new Sunni Islamist government in Syria – should immediately advocate for an end to the violence. All military operations in Syria must be stopped. To maintain security, it would be necessary to put together local security forces drawing on members of the local population. Transfers of fighters from one region to another must be prevented, particularly if they belong to other religious groups,” the human rights activist stated. “Now, it is important to ensure that former Al Quaeda fighters and members of the ‘Islamic State’ who are now part of the new so-called ‘Syrian Army’ can no longer commit crimes against the civilian population under the pretext of fighting remnants of the Assad regime. All arrests of supporters of the old regime must be halted until a government of national unity can be formed – and this government must investigate the crimes of the Assad regime and prosecute those who are responsible.”

“The German Federal Government must try to ensure that all population groups will be involved in the formation of the new Syrian government. Apart from the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the government must also consist of representatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which control the north-east of the country, Druze associations from the south, and Alawites from the Syrian Mediterranean coast. All foreign fighters must withdraw from Syria. After the withdrawal of the Iranian and the Shiite militias, the Turkish and all non-Syrian Sunni Islamist forces must also leave Syria,” the Middle East Consultant demanded.

“Several regional and international actors are trying to influence the developments in Syria – especially the United States, Israel, and Russia. All three states have troops on site and control the Syrian airspace. Without the cooperation of these three states, it will hardly be possible to bring about a peaceful transition process in Syria. Thus, the German Federal Government should exert influence on these states to advocate for an end to the fighting,” Sido demanded.